Preventing Electronic Identity Theft

The internet has drastically changed our lives. With a click of the mouse you can instantly communicate with someone across the continent. You can shop from the convenience of your home, any day or time of the week. Provide the pertinent information along with your credit card number and the product quickly arrives at your door. But along with this convenience and diversity in shopping comes many risks.

I grew up in a small town where everyone knew everyone. The grocery store on the corner allowed me to put food on my father’s tab without any verification from me. My father probably opened the account with his word only that he’d pay the bill. Individuals needing more money either worked a second job, accepted help from the community or did without. But today many dishonest individuals use the internet to steal the identity of others.

There are things you can do to protect yourself.

Purchase only from secured internet sites. Usually secure sites will tell you they are secure. You should also look for the closed lock icon at the bottom of the page.

Be cautious when allowing companies to store/keep your personal credit information for future purchases.

Be careful when reading emails, especially attachments and chain letters. If you don’t know the person or the company, don’t open the email. Thieves sometimes use chain letters and attachments as a way to verify your information and add more people to their hit list. Report any suspicious mail to your email provider.

Don’t fall for letters stating you’ve won a prize and need to do something - like deposit money in their account - to claim your prize.

Employment offers are another scheme infiltrating the internet today. There are numerous job sites with millions of resumes available to the wrong person. The thief usually sends you a letter offering you a job which matches the education and skills listed on your resume. The letter probably states you already have the job, the benefits are incredible and the salary is high. But before you start work they need you to complete an application. If you do that, they have all your personal information, and you probably do not have a job.

Use common sense to prevent internet identity fraud. If it sounds too good to be true, it’s probably a hoax. Keep copies of all your purchases, make copies of confirmations and receipts and always get a phone number.

Margaret Norton, a Personal Life Coach/Writer/Speaker, from St. Peters, Missouri.

April 9th, 2009 by admin | Posted in Protecting Yourself | (0)